In 1995, Irvin Kershner tried to make a remake of the classic Forbidden Planet. The project never materialized, but Kershner had already marshaled the artistic talent of Ralph McQuarrie, John Eaves, Mark McCreery, Syd Mead, and Stan Winson. And the early concept work of McQuarrie and Mead is readily accessible today. »7/08/14 1:30am 7/08/14 1:30am

Science fiction is the genre of ideas — but it's also given us some unforgettable pictures along the way. Every era in science fiction's history has shown us a new vision of the strange and futuristic, and one image can spawn a million reflections in your mind's eye. »11/20/12 10:29am 11/20/12 10:29am

In 1956, Fred M. Wilcox was at the top of his game in Hollywood. His iconic science fiction movie Forbidden Planet was one of the top box office earners that year. Full of innovative special effects and weird electronic music, the movie remains one of the most influential science fiction films of the twentieth… »8/13/12 4:43pm 8/13/12 4:43pm

Cute robots have been a fixture in the pop culture landscape, ever since C-3PO and R2D2 crashed on Tatooine in the original Star Wars — but there have been cute robots in pop culture for way longer. The history of cute robots is a proud and totally cuddly one, full of beeping, blooping noises. »12/07/11 2:00pm 12/07/11 2:00pm

With The Tempest, opening tomorrow, Julie Taymor and Helen Mirren bring a splashy fantasy vibe to the Bard. But science fiction and fantasy have been playing with Shakespeare forever. Here are the greatest Shakespeare homages and cover versions in SF. »12/09/10 5:10pm 12/09/10 5:10pm

Leslie Nielsen, who died last night, helped to pioneer the science fiction genre on screen when he starred in Forbidden Planet. And then he helped lampoon that genre in countless spoof movies, including 2001: A Space Travesty. »11/29/10 6:20am 11/29/10 6:20am

Science fiction has rocked cinemas for a century, and the genre has produced many undisputed classics during that time. But which movies are essential viewing for anyone interested in the genre? We broke down the 25 must-watch science fiction films. »8/25/10 12:00pm 8/25/10 12:00pm

Godzilla has been a classic for years, but now he finally gets classical in this mashup by artist Andrew Leipzig, aka Zig. From Stormtrooper Mona Lisas to zombie pastorals, Zig has specialized in putting geek icons into fine art. »6/11/10 9:30am 6/11/10 9:30am

There's only one thing Hollywood loves than a movie based on a toy: remakes. Dozens of science-fiction classics are slated for do-overs. But instead of remaking films that were fine the first time, here are 20 books Hollywood should film. »3/05/10 1:17pm 3/05/10 1:17pm

Space is silent and vast, but we can't feel the awe and terror of epic space battles without great music. Here's our list of the ten composers without whom science fiction would feel as empty as the void. (With samples.) »6/11/09 4:30pm 6/11/09 4:30pm

J. Michael Straczynski may have announced that his new Forbidden Planet is "not exactly a prequel" to the original movie, but if a leaked synopsis is to be believed, we're calling shenanigans on that. »12/20/08 8:00am 12/20/08 8:00am

With The Day the Earth Stood Still bowing next week, you'll want to brace yourself for more epic re-imaginings of iconic 1950s scifi: J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Shakespearean alien melodrama Babylon 5, is hard at work on what he mysteriously calls "not a remake, not a reimagining, not exactly a prequel" of … »12/01/08 1:50pm 12/01/08 1:50pm

With the liberally revamped version of
The Day The Earth Stood Still »11/10/08 3:40pm 11/10/08 3:40pm opening next month, it seemed weird that J. Michael Straczynski was to be writing a retro movie that kept the peachy keen 1950s look of the original intact. And now it turns out the rumors were wrong — Straczynski piped up on a Usenet group to say…

It's not just JJ Abrams'
Star Trek »11/08/08 9:00am 11/08/08 9:00am remake that's taking upcoming science fiction back to yesterday's future - Now we're hearing that J. Michael Straczynski's movie is similarly setting up a trip in the way-back machine as well. The project, , turns out not to be a remake, but a "continuation" of the original movie -…

It's not been a good couple of months for fans of SF theme music. Following last month's death of electronic music pioneer Bebe Barron, one of the composers for the 1956 Forbidden Planet movie, May 15th saw the sad passing of Alexander Courage, the man who gave the world the theme music for the original Star Trek.… »5/30/08 10:20am 5/30/08 10:20am